The Acting Company Reveals Casting For STOKELY Reading At The Public Theater
The new play by Nambi E. Kelley will be presented October 27 as part of the Louanna O. Carlin & John McDonald Reading Series.
The Acting Company has revealed full casting for Stokely, a bold new play exploring the life and rise of civil rights icon Kwame Ture, born Stokely Carmichael.
Written by Nambi E. Kelley (Native Son) and directed by Kent Gash (Miss Evers’ Boys), the staged reading will take place on Monday, October 27, 2025 at 7:30 pm at The Public Theater, 425 Lafayette Street.
The cast features Acting Company alum Jason Bowen (The Play That Goes Wrong, Goddess) alongside Jelani Pitcher (Jabari Dreams of Freedom), Portia (To Kill a Mockingbird, Ruined), Stacey Sargeant (For Colored Girls…, Rags Parkland Sings the Songs of the Future), and Heather Alicia Simms (Purlie Victorious, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Luke Cage).
Stokely fuses the personal and the historic to paint a moving portrait of the man, the movement, and the people who supported both. The reading is part of The Acting Company’s Louanna O. Carlin & John McDonald Reading Series, which showcases new works, classics, and rediscovered plays featuring alumni and artists connected to the company’s national tours.
Tickets for Stokely and the full Reading Series are on sale now, ranging from $45–$75, at theactingcompany.org/reading-series or by calling 212-258-3111.
The 2025–2026 Louanna O. Carlin & John McDonald Reading Series
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Stokely by Nambi E. Kelley, directed by Kent Gash — October 27, 2025 at The Public Theater
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Faustus by Christopher Marlowe, adapted/directed by Devin Brain, in association with Red Bull Theater — November 3, 2025 at The Public Theater
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Timon of Athens by William Shakespeare, translated by Kenneth Cavander, in partnership with Play On Shakespeare — January 26, 2026 at Symphony Space
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A Bold Stroke for a Husband by Hannah Cowley, directed by Emily Lyon, in association with Expand the Canon — February 9, 2026 at The Public Theater
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R.U.R. (Rossum’s Universal Robots) by Karel Čapek, directed by Ann C. James — March 23, 2026 at The Public Theater
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